The invention relates to a centrifuge.
Centrifuges with a detachable rotor are already known which have means for axially locking the rotor on the drive shaft and thus do not require any complex mounting procedures or special tools for locking. DE 695 14 988 T2, for example, proposes a centrifuge in which the rotor automatically moves into locking position when placed on the centrifuge. More specifically, a spring-loaded bolt engages a recess in the drive shaft, thus ensuring axial locking of the rotor. However, the disadvantage here is that a substantial portion of the drive shaft has to penetrate the rotor to provide sufficient contact surface for the locking mechanism, and that locking is effected underneath the rotor. This requires a greater amount of space. Moreover, providing part of the locking mechanism in the drive shaft will weaken the latter. This thus limits the resulting admissible speed and/or durability of such designs.
Known from DE 20 2010 014 803 U1 is a centrifuge of the generic type. This centrifuge has a rotor bearing including a locking system which secures the rotor to the drive shaft. The locking system has axes that extend perpendicular to the axis of rotation, and locking levers that can be pivoted about said axes between a locking position and an unlocking position. In the locking position, the locking levers engage an annular groove in the drive shaft, thus securing the rotor axially on the shaft. Depending on the speed of rotation, the locking levers can be automatically moved from the unlocking position into the locking position. At approx. 600 rpm, laboratory centrifuges frequently pass through their first resonance. However, at such speeds it is impossible for the generic centrifuge to achieve any major axial retention force.
Disclosed in WO 2011/054906 A1 is a centrifuge having a rotor that can be connected to a drive shaft by means of a locking mechanism. The locking mechanism has blades which can be pivoted about axes extending in parallel to the drive shaft, and which have a mass distribution such that they will be retained in the locking position, depending on the speed. The blades engage an annular groove in the drive shaft.
US 2008/0146429 A1 discloses a single locking member which can be moved from an unlocking position into a locking position by means of a handle perpendicular to the drive shaft.